Pa. MP unit pre-mobilizes out of JB MDL

Published Oct. 14, 2014
By Sgt. Reba Benally
123rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Soldiers from the Army Reserve 362nd Military Police Detachment from Ashley, Pa., completed a reactive fire training exercise for pre-mobilization training here Monday.

"This type of training is important for the Soldier who is moving down range because of the different operations that may come up in the future. We use this in the law and order operation, but it directly relates to other follow-on missions that we can be assigned," said Capt. Bryce Paloskey, commander of the 362nd MP Detachment.

Approximately 45 Soldiers in the unit have pre-mobilized here since Aug. 30, 2014. At the end of this year, the unit will deploy to Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, where they will conduct law and order operations.

Since the unit's arrival, they have completed other mobilization tasks including combat patrols, urban operations and entry control. Paloskey said he appreciated the training his unit received on reactive fire.

"This is definitely a perishable skill. We don't always have the time and resources to conduct this type of training, so it's always good to get out here to the range and be able to fire," Paloskey said. "It definitely helps the soldiers hone their skills with their assigned missions and is definitely beneficial downrange whether you're headed to Romania in our case or go to Afghanistan."

Sgt. 1st Class Lon Edward Cooley, the 362nd MP detachment's noncommissioned officer in charge who has been with the unit since 2012, said he feels extremely confident in his Soldiers.

"The Soldiers are very knowledgeable, very qualified to do this mission. We all get along. We're looking forward to our mission, and we're looking toward the future," Cooley said. "I'm ready to go get boots on ground in Romania. We have a good group of Soldiers here, and I'm really looking forward to it."